I made bendakaya vepudu (okra), Bengali moong dal khichdi, and gobi masala (cauliflower). The cauliflower in the creamy cashew sauce was certainly the star of the plate, despite my lack of fondness for cauliflower in general.

I brought meze to a friend’s house for dinner. It included yogurtlu havuc salatasi (carrots in yoghurt), hummus, baba ghanoush and borani esfanaaj (spinach in yoghurt), served with fresh homemade pita.